A Message from ‘The Promise’ Producer Eric Esrailian

Below is a public message from Eric Esrailian, the producer of the upcoming Armenian Genocide film The Promise.

The Promise will be in theaters on April 21

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My name is Eric Esrailian, I am a proud Armenian, and I am the great-grandson of Armenian Genocide survivors.

The story of the Armenian people is one of tragedy and triumph. It is a story that has been aggressively silenced for decades. On April 21, we are going to tell this story to the world–we need your help!

In 1915, the leadership of the Ottoman Empire set a plan in motion to eliminate the Armenian people from within its borders. What happened next is hard to comprehend–the massacre of 1.5 million innocent men, women and children in what historians call the first modern genocide of the 20th century.

Many people have not heard this story and the world knows why: the Turkish government and countless others around the world have spent years claiming this atrocity never took place because of shame, guilt, and a desire to avoid reparations. PR firms have been paid millions of dollars to try and cover up mass murder¹. Denialists and complicit facilitators of ongoing human rights abuse have targeted survivors and called their descendants liars over the years². The lunacy around denial has resulted in laughable and revisionist propaganda that has been universally discredited by anyone who does not have something to gain by the denial. On the 100th commemoration of the Armenian Genocide in 2015, Pope Francis himself famously said, “Concealing or denying evil is like allowing a wound to keep bleeding without bandaging it,” while referring to the Armenian Genocide³.

The Promise is a film that tells the story of the Armenian genocide for the first time in a major Hollywood production.

We hope to inspire people to take action to help those in the world today and to promote peace, love, and tolerance in the world for people of all backgrounds… but the denial must stop.

This film will show the world a truth that has been denied for far too long, but we’re not going to stop there. We are already building a movement to #KeepThePromise and speak up for injustice anywhere it is being silenced.

Let’s start speaking up about the Armenian genocide and every genocide taking place across the globe. Let’s promise to never stay silent again.

Follow me @esrailian on Twitter/Instagram and our social impact campaign on the channels below:

8 Comments

Dear Mr. Esrailian, Bravo for all your efforts and hard work to bring our Armenian Genocide story to the forefront of the countries of the world; through the media of film! I wish you much success with ‘The Promise’ screenings around the globe!

My name is John Chookasezian, I am a first generation American Armenian. I am the Artistic Music Director of the multiple-award winning ‘Chookasian Armenian Concert Ensemble’; that has been performing across the USA and Armenia,for the past 23 years.

My parents, Manase and Arshalous Chookasezian, born in Sepastia, historic Western Armenia (Present day Sivas, Turkey). They also were Armenian Genocide survivors; that witnessed the many horrors, and murders of our Armenian and Christian populations within Turkey, that was committed by the inhumane and barbaric ‘Young Turk Party!’ Their unfortunate and unique Armenian Genocide stories took place between 1915 to 1923.They suffered many cruel and frightful circumstances that could become another major film!
I have written down their incredible accounts of escape, suffering and persecutions. If you are interested, I can share their stories with you in the future. (559) 213-1909

“THE PROMISE” is a movie that I will have to see for at least a few times. Eventually, 100+ years after the Armenian Genocide, the truth is being prevailed about the extermination of Armenians, by mass killings, starvation, and massacre in concentration camps. It is about the ruthless and brutal history of the annihilation of our “People.” I will purchase tickets for friends, and relatives of descendants of survivals who may not be able to go see the story of their lives. Some are my close relatives. Dr. Esrailian having been the great-grandson of the “Genocide Survivors” as a child heard the story of the brutality our family had been subjected to, as well as their struggle to survive during family get-togethers. The sad stories of our family and relatives’ conversation about lives lost, and their own survival was often an almost everyday topic of conversation. Eric and his brother Fredric were fortunate enough to play on their great-grandmother’s lap, and I have no doubt they have fond memories of my gentle grandmother, and their great-grandmother. The stories heard about their miserable life to survive, reinforced by the literature, and followed by witnessing the movements by Armenians all over the globe; commemorating the Armenian Genocide, inspired Dr. Esrailian to take on the monumental responsibility to produce “The Promise.” He honored his own “Promise” to the late “Humanitarian-Philanthropist Kirk Kerkorian,” to carry out Kerkorian’s wish to leave a legacy re his heritage. Dr. Esrailian, produced the “THE PROMISE.” This movie envelope the atrocities subjected to millions of Armenian’s ancestors attempted to eradicate Christian minorities. In recent historical documentary (10 Disturbing Facts About The Armenian Genocide-Listverse) by David Dee, in his Article of March 13, 2017; he wrote “…However, running concurrently with this was the genocide of both the Assyrians and the Greeks…The Assyrian death count has been estimated to be around 300,000,…and the Greek death count has been estimated to be around 750,000…” The production of the “Humanitarian Real Life Documentary,” “THE PROMISE,” is Kirk Kerkorian’s ultimate wish to leave behind a classic epic movie about his roots. “The Promise,” has already made a movement around the world. Great job Dr. Esrailian, we are proud of your hard work in making all our wishes come true. “The Promise” has already made an international movement to acknowledge the “Armenian Genocide.” Last night I received and shared a video produced by a Chinese young man named Michael He, who lives in Yerevan Armenia. He was advocating for your movie, and encouraging everyone to go see the movie on dates allotted to be released around the world in different countries. May God bless you, we are proud of your tenacity to start and bring this movie to fruition. As the saying goes in Armenian: “VARTSKD GADAR.”

Dear Eric Esrailian: We thank you on your upcoming film “The Promise” on our Armenian Genocide. I am sorry to say this, but shame on America & especially Israel for not recognizing our well documented Armenian Genocide of 1915-1923. Although it is recorded that we lost 1.5 million Armenians, I have heard that that that figure is from our Apostolic Church figures & does not include Protestant Armenian’s & Catholic Armenian’s which the total Armenians lost should be up to 2 million Armenian’s massacred by the barbarous Turks. Also, hardly no menetion is made of over 1 million Armenian’s were forced to become Moslems & more than a million were forced to go to other lands. On top of this no mention of another Genocide of the Armenian’s also took place in 1994-1996 whereby over 300,000 Armenians were slaughtered & another 300,000 were Moslemized. Add another 30,000 more Armenians massacred during the 1909 Massacres in Adana that Armenians seem to forget. My father was inducted into the Turkis Military in the 1912-1913 Balkan wars whereby my father did not want to kill Christian Greeks & Bulgarians & fled to the Greek side whereby he ended up here in the U.S. in 1913, Since he came from a small Village called Sis in the Provence of Shabin Karahissar, after the war since he was married, he found out that they killed his father, mother, wife, & 3 childred, as well as other family members & his 2 brothers & sister were taken in by Turkish families & the 2 brothers were circumsized & given Moslem names. After the war when the Allies went into Village after Village asking those Armenians to come forward from Turkish Families & they were freed. My mother whom came frome the Village of Goteh in the Provence of Erzerum, her whole Village was removed & sent on a death march, whereby the Turks & Kurds were killing them one by one. My mother had 2 children whereby they bayoneted one & died and the other starved to death after 13 days with no food. She ended up as the only survivor from her village & the only reason she survived was going by a Missionary Home they pulled her in and saved her. After the war she ended up in Istanbul where she ended up meeting my fathers 2 brothers & ended up coming to America where she met my father & got remarried in Lowell, Mass. at the St. Vartanantz Armenian Church in 1920. My father had four more children here in the states. The Deeds of the Terrible Turks will never be forgotten until our lands are returned & repatriation to all Armenians. God Bless your upcoming film “The Promise” which I hope to see.

Bravo. There is no statute of limitations for mass murder. The planners of the murder of the Armenian nation thought that if they could silence reality long enough it would be forgotten. No so, as this film is clear testament. Its only matter of time. Critical mass is approaching and long over due. BTW as much as we blame all Turks, my grandfather and 17 of his relatives were hidden by his Turkish neighbor for over a week and is the only reason they all survived. This story is not unique.

Hello all, I’m an average suburban American mom and am reading your site because I saw the movie The Promise yesterday and was compelled to learn more about your people and the circumstances surrounding the genocide, which I had heard about only briefly and without context. I have never, that I know of, met an Armenian (I’m from the Atlanta, Georgia area) but am struck by the beauty of the people and the tragic treatment that happened not so very long ago in the context of history. I just wanted to say thank you for being part of America now, and that I will forever think of what happened to your people, along with the horrible things that still happen around the world today. The religious aspects of your story (I am a Christian) weren’t highlighted too much in the movie, but in that respect, people today are still in danger just as they were 100 years ago. I’m not sure how regular citizens can make a difference, but I know that knowledge and education about events and TRUTH are the first things needed to sustain the fight of good over pure evil. My regards to the fortitude and bravery of your ancestors and to you all going forward. In Christ, Sophie in Atlanta